There’s something funny on New Year’s flip of the calendar to January as numerous highlanders in Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Region 01 get mysteriously gripped by a strange disease the medical science has no explanation nor antidote.
A peculiar sickness smacks many right on the head, making a covenant with themselves to “do better” than what they did last year. They call this disease “New Year Resolution.” What in tarnation is that?
New Year resolution, to Daily Laborer’s understanding, is a promise to be broken into tiny little pieces. But these highlanders and lowlanders shout down Daily Laborer, swearing, they are altering for a better course in life, or, change in attitude for a better way.
To “do better.” Sometimes a double-edged sword, in the context of how one understands and interprets it. Daily laborer found to his merriment some told him they would get filthy rich this year. Asked how they’ll do it they whispered to Daily Laborer they will do it by hook or by crook or sell their souls to the devil.
When Daily Laborer pointed out that on the contrary, they have no souls hence couldn’t barter with the devil, they intimated they can still outwit Satan, but that is another story.
Then, Daily Laborer heard acquaintances and friends, in crossing their hearts that “under legal obligation,’ they will fulfill their resolutions, come hell or high water.
Listen to Olio Baditan, from La Trinidad, Benguet, whispering last week to Daily Laborer, “Under legal obligation, I will not break my New Year’s resolution.”
“And what is your New Year’s resolution, aber, aber?” Daily Laborer asked.
“That promises never grow old, or broken, only renewed.” Baditan answered.
Same week, Daily Laborer went to Camp 8, kennon Rd., Baguio City, to see his friends Wallang Kansilsilyo, and his wife Mirang, about a business prospect of making people’s resolutions a reality.
Nearing their house, Daily Laborer suddenly heard Wallang growl at his wife: “Hoy Mirang, bagong taon na, matanda kang tao ka, magbako ka na nga, ay apoh met!”
Standing still, waiting for the shouting to settle, Daily laborer wandered if, in pursuing a New Year resolution, whether you can teach old dogs new tricks.
Still the same week, Daily Laborer met couple Lino and Paula Bitakpuso, staying somewhere at East Quirino Hill, Baguio City. Now, it had been bandied about by Quirino Hill neighbors that the duo loves to bicker until the sun goes to sleep. They interpret this bickering a healthy sign in the couple’s marriage.
Neighbors would be alarmed if the two stopped bickering at each other because utter silence between couples is a clear, dangerous sign of marriage potentially breaking up, they informed Daily Laborer.
Meeting the couple at the junction of Camdas barangay, Baguio city, Daily laborer queried, “Kumusta kayon ngay nga ag-asawa?” To which Paula replied, “ Ay, Ag-kara mayat, a!”
Daily Laborer asked Paula what her New Year Resolution was. She explained: “Inkarik iti bagik nga tatta toy baro a tawen, nu adda kami iti publiko, market man wenno idiay Malcolm Square ket awagak ni Lino ti mahal wenno lab-lab!”
Daily laborer grunted in satisfaction then asked further, “Ket nu adda kayo ngay idiay balay yu?”
Paula said, “Ay ket nu adda kami idiay balay ket awagak ni Lino nga halimaw, wenno adda sara na nga spiritu! Narigat met nga idiretsok nga satanas isuna!”
Now, along came Epitacio Bayagbag, who, when Daily laborer visited him last December in Burgos, La Union, poured his heartaches out, “Nu umay nga baro a tawen, ti New Year resolution ko ket ibagak kenni baket ko ta isuna met a ti mangsublat panaglaba ti bado mi.”
Daily laborer answered by soothing Epitacio, “Ops, relaks ka lang, my good ol’ pren, saan met nga dakes nga ti lalaki aglaba. Di mo kadi ammo nga addu mangibaga nga mas malinis ti labaan ti lalaki kumpara ti babae. Mamati ka kadi?”
Epitacio countered, “Wen, ngem nu sika ket agtrabaho ngaruden ket ti misis bumangir pa laeng iti kabangibang a barangay tapnu la mapan maki-Marites, sabali istorya ajay yen.”
Epitacio paused, then with finality, said, “Isu nga nu baro a tawen, ibagak kenni baket, agyan ditoy balay ta aglaba. Ta nu saan, ipalladaw ko amin nga narugit a bado mi!”
Last week, Daily Laborer re-visited Epitacio. It happens that at the back of the home of Epitacio, they have a spring which they use for water domestic needs and not connected to the water system of Burgos municipality.
Nearing the house of Epitacio, a voice was singing, accompanied by sniffs, or “hikbi.” There, he saw Epitacio on a stool with a big planggana in front of him, filled with laundry to be washed.
Seeing Epitacio, his beefy figure, hulking biceps and all turned labandero, Daily laborer can’t help it but grin. Epitacio saw him grinning and all the more turned the volume of his singing and hikbi louder, while paraphrasing his song.
The song Epitacio sang was titled “With These Hands.” But instead of saying the correct phrases, “With these hands, I will cling to you; I’m yours forever in a day. . .,” Epitacio rephrased by singing, “With these hands, I will wash for you; I’ll wash forever in a day. . .”
Sobering up, Daily laborer said, “Napa-ay samet ti an-aneknekem a New Year resolution ken misis mo.”Instead of answering, Epitacio re-doubled his efforts of, “With these hands, I will wash for you; I’ll wash forever in a day. . .”
Daily Laborer couldn’t do anything but commiserate with Epitacio who wanted his Missus to change for the better but it seemed his New Year’s resolution didn’t sink into the head of his soul mate.
After Daily laborer left Epitacio from La Union and arriving at a terminal in Baguio, he chanced upon Doryu Dimapasok, a vendor at the city market and busy. “Ni, busy ka unay a, Doryu!”
Doryu looked up from what he was doing and replied, “Uy, sika gayam dayta, Bony. Wen, tatta a baru a tawen, ti resolution ket kasapulan nga agtignay. Usaren tayu ti ima ken ulo nga kusto tapnu nalag-an ti panagbiag.” Then Doryu pointed to his head then flexed his hands.
This Doryu, talaga. Making us choose between hands versus heads this January. Anyways, Daily Laborer opts the hand is certainly more important than the head. For all we know, if a Cordilleran or lowlander loses a hand, he/she is subjected to too much inconvenience.
Whereas, if a Cordilleran or lowlander loses his/her head this January, it’s an end to all his/her troubles and he/she cannot complain about the matter or make a New Year Resolution.
Thinking further, if a Cordilleran or lowlander be born without a head, he/she might cut a very strange figure seen scampering along city streets without resolving how his/her head disappeared.
Supposing, a Cordilleran or lowlander loses a hand this January, and crimes of stealing or pickpocket are being committed, he/she is sure to have no hand in it for we cannot accuse such person without a hand as light-fingered or sleight of hand ability.
Daily Laborer is willing to take both sides of the suggestion of Doryu in using both the hands and heads “tapnu nalag-an ti panagbiag,” but cannot avoid a little partiality in favor of hands, as a resolution to becoming successful this New Year.
Why? Daily Laborer argues the hand contains all the channels in the world for the New Year. For samples: you get sick and go to the doctor. Does he use his head? No. He applies his hand.
Or, go to a lawyer for your case. And we all know, before the lawyer opens his mouth, he holds out his hand. The priest’s hand holds the parish stream. Every Filipino contributes a share into the hands of the tax gatherer is the life being of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). For what falls in, there is no exact knowing where it goes to.
Want some more samples of hands far superior to hands? Read on: even a bad person’s hand may sometimes be held out for a hand shake, when, after some minutes but too late, the head may reprove such act. When a hand is given in haste, the repentant head says, “Ay, nagkamali ka nga nang-iyawat idiay imam!”
How often we see gentlemen can do nothing with their heads then settle matters with their hands, men, who have frequently not reason to withdraw an objection, have fortunately a finger in a hand to draw a trigger. Or, allow to depend entirely upon hands in which the heads have not the least transaction.
And if any gentleman out there is skeptical on this point about hands, Daily laborer hopes he gets arrested before he gets home, in order that he may declare, to Daily Laborer tomorrow, that there is nothing so awful as the hand of an arresting officer.
And that he resolves to do better for the year by using both head and hands, as Doryu said.
